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To reach the current human species that we are today, our ancestors evolved and adapted in so many ways to survive, including interbreeding with other species. Up to this day, there are already several confirmed cases of modern humans, Homo Sapiens, mating with other types of hominins such as Neanderthals and Denisovans.
However, there is a recent study that tells us some of our ancestors interbred with a mysterious ghost species that we do not know what or have any some type of record of. It could be another hominins that we have not discovered yet. Let’s find out more about how the scientists came to this conclusion.
Hidden Cousins in Our DNA
We know humans of today who originated from outside of Africa, have about 1 to 4% Neanderthal DNA, mainly because our ancestors interbred with them tens of thousands of years ago. But a recent study showcases that ancient humans from West Africa carry DNA from an unknown archaic hominin, which is dubbed a ghost species.
According to fossil evidence, scientists infer that there are at least 8 other human species that once walked the earth together with Homo Sapiens. However, none of the ones we know match the DNA study of the ghost species.
They are estimated to have diverged from our evolutionary path about 1 million years ago, and then interbred with our ancient ancestor, dating back over 43,000 years ago. The study estimated 2–19% of the genomes of West African groups like Yoruba and Mende came from this ghost species.
Read more: Reuters
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Echoes of Archaic Human Interbreeding
Earlier research also supports this finding that we have ancestors that are completely ghost, not because it might not be true, but due to the fact that fossil remains are hard to come by. However, our DNA contains a lot of information, and as we learn how to use AI to decipher it, everything will be a lot clearer.
As of today, AI analysis points to multiple interbreeding events with unknown archaic species throughout prehistory that also contributed to the Neanderthals and Denisovan populations. In other words, our human genome tree just got more complicated, with even more extinct species leaving their lasting genetic legacies in our blood.
What We Know—and Don’t
The fossil evidence of these claims and research is non-existent, and that is mostly why we call them ghost species. Due to the lack of information and proof that they exist. Scientists have not yet identified where they came from or how they lived, but we do know their genes are mixed with ours.
All of the insights today are proposed based on large-scale genome sequencing or statistical DNA signals like genetic abnormalities. Usually, when we find a gene that is unlike anything we have ever seen, it could be because of a mutation, but when a large group of the population suddenly has them, it is more likely that it was the result of interbreeding with another population.
Read more: Wikipedia
Why It Matters for Human Origins
Our past is what makes us who we are, and it helps modern humans predict and prepare where we are heading, evolutionarily. Uncovering these ghost species that interbred with our ancestors a long time ago will help us understand our genetic diversity.
Genetic diversity in a population helps it adapt to disease, climate, and new environments. We do not know for sure yet if they exist, but these ghost species could have helped us reach who we are today by providing us with their genetic legacies.
Author's Final Thoughts
The existence of ghost species reminds us that evolution is not a linear progression but a complex branching tree with entangled stories of lost lineages, interbreeding, and mystery. These ghostly ancestors may have shaped crucial traits, and they just weren’t successful in leaving us a fossil. However, as AI and our genetic tools advance, we could soon know who they are and how they changed our lives.
Read more: Scientists Want to Bring Back the Woolly Mammoth — And Their Reason Is Fighting Climate Change
References & Further Reading
Durvasula, A., & Sankararaman, S. (2020). Recovering signals of ghost archaic introgression in African populations. Science Advances. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aax5097
Hammer, M. F., Woerner, A. E., Mendez, F. L., Watkins, J. C., & Wall, J. D. (2011). Genetic evidence for archaic admixture in Africa. PNAS. https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1109300108
Hsieh, P. H., Woerner, A. E., Wall, J. D., et al. (2016). Model-based analyses of whole-genome data reveal a complex demographic history of African hunter-gatherers. Genome Research. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4772012/
Plagnol, V., & Wall, J. D. (2006). Possible ancestral structure in human populations. PLoS Genetics. https://journals.plos.org/plosgenetics/article?id=10.1371/journal.pgen.0020105
Wall, J. D., et al. (2019). Identification of African-specific admixture between modern and archaic humans. Molecular Biology and Evolution. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6904834/
Skoglund, P., Thompson, J. C., Prendergast, M. E., et al. (2017). Reconstructing prehistoric African population structure. Cell. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2017.08.049
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